Device for preventing interior windshield glare in vehicles



H. BERNARD 2,010,656

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING INTERIOR WINDSHIELD GL ARE IN VEHICLES I Aug. 6, 1935.

Filed April 26, 1934 INVEN'E'OR:

A a m 5 m n fw a T B Patented Au 6, 1935 x 2,010,656

UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR PREVENTING INTERIOR WINDSHIELD GLARE IN VEHICLES Harry Bernard, Allentown, Pm, assignor to International Motor Company, New York, N. Y.. a corporation of Delaware Application April 26, 1934, Serial No. 722,437 aciaims. (Cl. 296-97) One of the major problems .of safe night operlarly with reference to the embodiment shown in ation of vehicles is to protect the driver or opthe accompanying drawing, wherein: erator from the interior glare arising from the Figure '1 is a view in horizontal section and greater light intensity found within the vehicle. somewhat schematic, taken through a bus body The problem is particularly acute in the night and illustrating the relation of the improved de- 5 operation of busses, the interior of which are well vice and the opaque shield to the driver and the illuminated for the convenience'of the passengers windshield, whereby glare is efiectively prewith the result that all reflecting surfaces con-. vented. tribute to glare. This'is particularly true of the Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in vertical sec- J windshield which reflects the interior light be-' tion through the windshield and the improved de- 10 cause of the differential light intensity on theinvice for preventing glare illustrated in Figure 1r side and the outside of the bus. This reflection the section being taken on the plane indicated by on the. windshield creates a dangerous driving the line 2-4 of Figure 1 and looking in the dicondition as is well known. Expedients have been recticn of the arrows.

tried to relieve the driver to adegree as, for in- Figure 3 is a view in elevation of the improved 15 stance, by actually reducingv the illumination device-as seen from the interior of the vehicle. within the bus, despite the resulting inconvenience Figure 4 is a view in plan of the unit shown in to passengers, and by placing an opaque shield or Figure 3. l curta n behind the driver in an effort to inter- I ,While it will be evident as the description procent some of the rays which would otherwise fall ceeds that the improved device may be built into 20 on the windshield and be reflected. Neither of the vehicle'structure so that the parts thereof these expedients is effective. Diminution of the occupy the necessary relationship permanently lighting does not wholly eliminate glare because to the windshield, it is preferred for the purposes all of the reflecting surfaces within the body conof this specification to illustrate and describe a tribute to it and the shield or curtain behind the unitary construction which may be mounted re-- 25 driver is necessarily of limited extent and does movably in proper relation to the windshield, it not shield the windshield from all of the rays. j being contemplated, for instance, that the device It is the principal object of the present invenwill be removed during daytime operation and intion to provide a device which shall be simple, stalled at night. As shown in Figure 3 the coninexpensive and effective to prevent reflection of struction comprises a frame d-which will ordi- 30 light rays from a windshield while leaving the narilybe rectangular in outline to conform to the drivers vision relatively unimpaired throughout shape and size of the windshield with which the the extent of the windshield, as is desirable. unit is to be used and a plurality of vertically dis: More particularly, the object of the invention is posed opaque slats b extending between the top to provide a device which may be mounted adjaand bottom members of the frame a. The entire 35 cent the interior of the windshield and which frame a as shown particularly in Figures 1 and 2 shall be of such form and size as may be necesmay be secured in place removably in proximity sary to prevent the reflection of rays of light on to the windshield c. The driver's seat is indicated that portion of the windshield as may be light at d and his eyes may be assumed to be located 40 struck from the interior. Still another object of at the point e. Immediately to the rear of the 40 the invention is to provide in a device for the purdriver. may be mounted an opaque curtain or pose indicated openings through which the driver shield j which may extend forw dly at his side may see freely with comparatively little interfor a short distance as indicated gt 1'. The area ference. A further object of'the invention is to of this shieldis necessarily ted by the use provide in combination with the improved device made of the"'pace within the bus body alongside 45 I a shield located at the rear of the driver, the of the driver and by the necessity for maintain-e f shield being so disposed as to prevent light rays ing clear vision for him for such space. The ef from falling on that portion of the windshield fect of such a shield f is to intercept light rays: which is -.directly in front of the driver while the fromthe interior of the body and prevent them improved device'is of such size and so disposed from falling on a small portion of the windshield 50 as to supplement the action of the said shield directly in front of the driven' In conjunction and prevent the reflection. of such rays of light with such a shield the purpose of the improved as may fall on the remaining portion of thewinddevice is to protect the remaining portion of 'the xshield. windshield'from glare. Accordingly, the opaque 56 The invention described more particuslats b are disposed within the 'frame a only to such extent as may be necessary to protect that portion of the windshield which is not protected by the curtain f. The slats b are angularly disposed and, individually, are disposed on a radius extending from the driver's eyes e. This con-- struction, of course, results in the slats being disposed in non-parallelism, that is to. say, at varying angles with respect tothe frame a. --However, the slats are of such width and are so disposed with relation to one another that they overlap to a degreesuflicient to prevent the reflection of light rays from the windshield. It will be understood that the spacing of the slats will .depend on their width. In practice, it is preferred, within reasonable limits, 'to make the slats of less width and hence more numerous thus reducing the depth of the frame a. That portion of the frame which does not contain slats permitsclear vision of the driver through the windshield since it is assumed that such portion of the windshield is protected from light rays and interior glare by the curtain f. -It will be apparent that by disposing the slats b radially with respect to the drivers eyes his vision is unimpaired except for the actual thickness of the slats. Since the thickness of the slats is unappreciable as compared to the space between adjacent slats'lt may be said that his vision through the portion of the windshield covered by the device is practically clear. This, of course, is a necessary condition to beatisfied in practice since it would not be permissible to prevent the driver from scanning the area visible through the portion of the windshield protected by the improveddevice.

In fulfilling the practical requirements" of operation to the greatest extent possible the shield and the improved device are to be treated as a combination of elements contributing to a single result, namely, the prevention of windshield glare in the interest of the driver. Accordingly, while the two elements are physically separated they are functionally interrelated since their conjoint action is to eliminate glare from the entire surface of the windshield.

the normal straight ahead vision of the driver;

each of said slats being mounted on a radius of vision of the driver and in overlapping spaced relationship to .one another to leave openings therebetween, respectively, to intercept interior light rays.

2. In a vehicle in. combination with a windshield, an-opaque curtain disposed to the rear of the driver to intercept light rays falling on a portion of the windshield in front of the driver, and

'-a' device to prevent glare on' the remaining portion of the windshield comprising a plurality of non-reflecting members mounted in juxtaposition to the interior of the windshield and disposed in spaced relationship to leave openings therebea tween and sodisposed with respect to one an- .other as to intercept interior light rays.

31 In a vehicle in combination with a windshield, an opaque curtain disposed to the rear of the driver to intercept light rays falling on a portion of the windshield in front of the driver, .and a device to prevent glare on the remaining portion of the windshield comprising a plurality of vertical non-reflecting slats disposed in juxtaposition to the inner surface of the windshield, each'of said slats being mounted on a radius of vision of the driver and in spaced relationship to one another to leave openings therebetween and overlapping one another, respectively, to intercept interior light rays. 

